


What You Do When You Realize You Love Your Manservant (or really just what Arthur Pendragon does)

by CarryonmywaywardDragonlord



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur finally realizes he loves Merlin, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, bbc merlin - Freeform, first published work on here, im really bad things at tags, merlins magic is discovered, only by Arthur though so don't worry too much, took him long enough
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-08-15 01:10:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8036392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarryonmywaywardDragonlord/pseuds/CarryonmywaywardDragonlord
Summary: Arthur picks the worst time to realize he loves Merlin, Merlin is wounded and using magic and somehow everything doesn't go to shit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I'm publishing on here, so I'm sorry if it sucks. Let me know what you think please!  
> I am still not done writing it so I will add more later on.

> He was about to die, Arthur was sure of that.  
>  What he wasn't sure of was the fact that all he could picture in his mind was Merlin. Merlin smirking, laughing, and smiling with that twinkle in his eyes...why? Wasn't the brave hero's last thought supposed to be about the woman he loved? and if he had no lady love then perhaps the kingdom and its people that he adored?  
>  When Arthur was young his tutor would have him read old tales of knights facing death for their beloved, and the last thing they thought about before they went to vanquish whatever was terrorizing the kingdom was the woman to whom they had given their heart. So wasn't Arthur supposed to be like that? Wasn't he supposed to be picturing some fair maiden? That foreign princess with the bedazzling smile he met when he was twelve perhaps? Though no, he hadn't seen her in ages and she's long since been married off. Or even maybe one of the many maids who he knew fancied him? Even Gwen! However that had died long ago as well...and if not any of those ladies then why was it not fair Camelot that he envisioned? With its loyal and trusting people that Arthur would sacrifice so much for in a heartbeat....  
>  Why was Arthur only able to see Merlin as he desperately tried to conjure up a picture of someone or something he could call his, of something he held dear and near to his heart? Why couldn't he think of any sort of proper person, for one thing, a woman? Or just a special place? What was wrong with him? The knights in his old tales never had a final thought about their manservant, especially not a final thought full of love and much too intimate affection. Indeed no knight in the tale ever even had such a thought for any man whatsoever.  
>  Why was Arthur different?  
>  This all was thought out in a matter of seconds as the beast got closer, and as Arthur raised his sword he accepted that his final thoughts would be "damn it" paired with his favorite memory of Merlin.  
>  And then it all clicked.  
>  _**I love Merlin.**_  
>  His breath caught in his throat.  
>  **_I'm...in love....with Merlin..._**  
>  And a fire came to life in his chest and the prince roared and ducked, rolling to the side, his sword slashing down upon the beast and it howled and fell to the ground.  
>  Arthurs breathing was uneven and shaky and he fell to his knees, the fire of rage and love burning in his chest dying down to a low flame.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here is the next part! I'm sorry that this fic is kinda random in length of parts and it's entirely unprofessional, the chapters don't really feel like chapters but I'm trying to figure it out and all that. Other fics that I'll post in the future won't be so bad.  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy!  
> ❤️

Arthur drops his blade and lets out a weak laugh, the beast was dead, he was alive, the clearing was quiet, and Merlin was-from across the clearing he hears a familiar groan and jerks his head over towards the sound.

"Merlin!"

He jumps up and dashes to his manservants side, to the love of his life's side.

 _ **Come off it**_ , he thinks, trying to shove the thought away, and turning his attention to Merlin.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine."

Merlin reassures him, sitting up. **_Liar_** , Arthur thinks, noticing the trickle of blood going down Merlins face, he frowns, "You're bleeding..."

Merlin looks up at him with a lopsided smile that makes Arthurs heart skip a beat,

"Why sire! I had no idea you cared!"

He says cheerfully and Arthur is about to tell him to shut up when he notices how Merlins breathing is uneven, something is wrong.

"Merlin..."

He kneels down and gently touchs Merlins forehead, his manservant jerks back a little at the touch before relaxing again. "It's just a cut Arthur..."

He sighs and Arthur shakes his head, it is just a cut, not very deep and definitely not life threatening. So then...why...?

"Merlin what else?"

"What?"

Merlin says, his voice rising nervously ever so slightly,

"There's something else you're not telling me... Are you hurt somewhere else?"

Merlin shakes his head and avoids Arthurs gaze.

"I'm fine, just hit my head really hard on the rocks when that thing threw me to the side...I just need to rest I'm sure..."

He sounds worried, why does he sound so worried? What is he hiding? Arthur tries to get Merlin to look him in the eye but he keeps looking somewhere else.

"You're lying."

That gets Merlin to look at him,

"What? No!"

"Yes you are, I can tell...Merlin-"

"Arthur I truly am happy that you're finally showing you care or whatever-"

He weakly gestures to the prince,

"- _this_ is, but what is wrong with you? Normally I have a close brush with death and you just slap me on the back and then tell me to make camp or go fetch some water, or you send me off to wash-"

"Merlin!"

Arthur growls fiercely, wanting to shake the boy and make him tell him what was wrong. He sighs after a moment and takes a deep breath,

"Please."

Merlin frowns at him, grimacing ever so slightly and touching his stomach, before he can say anything Arthur has lifted his shirt up, and a swoop of unease goes through the prince. There's a large gash on Merlins stomach, it's deep and Arthur doesn't understand why there wasn't any blood soaking Merlins shirt, how on earth is Merlin not bleeding out?

That was when he noticed the tiny silver shimmer all over the wound.

"What is-"

"I didn't want you to know, I figured I could bind it till I got back to Gaius..."

Merlin says quietly, 

"Merlin we're days away from Camelot! What were you-"

Arthur freezes and his manservant closes his eyes, his breaths short.

"Bind it with what?"

The prince asks, eyeing the silver shimmer around the wound. When Merlin opens his eyes a tear slips out and Arthur feels a sliver of fear go down his spine,

"Merlin..."

His manservant takes a deep breath,

"I think you already know the answer to that question Arthur."

He should get up and draw his sword, he should arrest Merlin and take him to Camelot for trial, he should throw away their friendship because magic is outlawed and his father would expect him to obey the law, for magic is a dangerous practice that should never be tolerated.

But instead he grabs Merlins hand, feeling terrible when the boy flinches at his touch. It's quiet for awhile, so many questions are zooming around Arthurs mind that he can't seem to ask a single one. If things maybe had happened differently, then perhaps Arthur would have yelled and screamed at Merlin for hiding it, for lying....for not trusting Arthur...but now all he could was quietly sit there with the the boy he loved.

"Why didn't you tell me?

He finally asks, his voice a ragged whisper, slicing through the silence surrounding them, everything seems frozen while Arthur waits, the forest is still, seeming to want an answer just as badly.

Merlin looks sad,

"I wanted to. So many times I almost did."

The boy leans back, groaning slightly in pain as he does his best to relax.

"Something always happened though, that made me stop before I could."

He pauses before looking directly at Arthur,

"And I was scared."

Arthur frowns,

"Scared of what? Merlin surely you know I would never hurt you."

 _**At least I hope you know that,**_ headds to himself. Merlin smiles a little,

"When I first met you...are you sure you wouldn't have hurt me then?"

Arthur struggles to answer,not wanting to think about what he might have done then, and not loosening his grip on Merlins hand when the boy tries to tug it away, looking somewhat ashamed.

"I don't think you would have wanted to tell me about your magic when you first met me though."

He says after some thought and Merlin nods,

"True."

"So then what were you afraid of when we became-"

Arthur swallows,

"-friends."

He finishes lamely. Merlin looks away, and Arthur wishes he could just kiss that distressed expression off the boys face but he can't, now isn't a good time.

"Losing that-"

He stops and sighs,

"Losing you."

Merlins hand in holding loosely onto Arthurs, as though he expects the prince to jerk back, in response Arthur tightens his grip.

"You won't lose me."

He takes a deep breath,

"You're stuck with me, I'm afraid."

He lets out a half hearted chuckle, and Merlin meets his gaze again, his eyes lit with hope.

"Well that's a relief."

He says and Arthur gives him a small smile. They are quiet for a few more moments more before Merlin speaks again,

"I should have told you."

He sighs,

"I've been so stupid Arthur, I could have just told you but I was scared and I shouldn't have been I-"

"You had every right to be scared."

Arthur says, stopping him,

"It's my fault that you never told me...I never gave you much of a reason to trust me with the fact that you have-"

He stops, they haven't said it yet, it hasn't been spoken, its almost been as though nothing has happened, that none of this means anything yet, as though nothing has changed...and yet everything has.

"-magic."

He breaths, and Merlin closes his eyes, smiling slightly.

"So does this mean I have your permission to blame you for this?"

He asks jokingly,

"Absolutely."

Arthur says, completely serious. The smile fades from Merlins face, and he opens one eye.

"Don't be daft Arthur I'm not blaming you for anything! Well...I do blame you for why my other set of clothes smell like manure but I don't blame you for this, this is-"

A groan cuts him off as he shifts a little bit,

"Merlin, enough of this, we can handle it later."

"But I'm fine! I-"

"Oh yes you're fine Merlin, you can just go to Gauis and you'll be fine! Except Gauis is _six_ days back West!"

Merlin shoots Arthur a glare before his face scrunches up in pain,

"Okay...maybe I'm not fine."

He says in a small voice.

"Come on..."

Arthur says, rising up and lifting Merlin up in his arms, who surprisingly doesn't complain, which worries Arthur.

"Lets go make camp, I'll help you get bandaged up."

"Do you even know how to apply a bandage?"

"If I were you I wouldn't be asking that question"

"You're right"

Silence for a moment and then-

"...Do you even know how to make camp?"

"Merlin..."

"Well I can't help you at the moment and if you don't know how..."

"How do you still manage to be annoying when you're wounded?"

"I'm distracting myself..."

Merlin says with a weak cheeky smile, before he inhales sharply as he jostles in Arthurs arms.

"Besides..."

He says after he recovers, his voice growing faint.

"You'd miss it if I stopped being annoying..."

"Just hang on Merlin"

Arthur says as the boy's eyes close. And he continues to hurry desperately through the trees.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me awhile to put up! I got super busy right after I posted the second chapter. Please let me know what you think of this next part!

The sun had begun its decent and the air had already gotten quite cold by the time Arthur found their horses. They had left them by a stream which should have been easy for Arthur to find, but in his panic over Merlin he had gotten turned around.

"Finally"

He huffs, lowering the boy to the ground and wincing at the groan that comes from him.

"Sorry..."

  
Arthur kneels down, checking Merlins wound once more, making sure the little shimmer of silver is still there.

"Arthur...”

  
He looks up and follows Merlins gaze towards the horses,

  
"Theres some wrappings in my pack, and some salve..."

  
He nods and gets up, rushing over to the horses and gently patting their necks before he grabs both his and Merlins packs and goes back.

  
"Okay got it...here I just have to-"

  
He lifts Merlins shirt up, trying to fight down the heat in his cheeks, _**now is not the time Arthur,**_ he thinks.  
He works quickly, applying the salve to the wound and pulling the wraps across and under Merlin's stomach before wrapping it again and sticking it in place.

"There...okay...um..."

  
Merlins eyes are barely open but there's a twinkle of humor in them,

  
"Are you...blushing, sire?"

  
Arthur avoids meeting Merlins gaze, instead focusing on his mouth, which is curved upwards just a little and looks so very kissable and- _ **damnit Arthur look somewhere else!**_ He clears his throat,

"You're imagining things Merlin."

He says quickly, clearing his throat and desperately trying to fight down the heat rising in his cheeks.

  
"No...I swear your cheeks are red."

  
"It's cold! And dark, how can you even see if I'm blushing?" 

"It's not that dark just yet Arthur..."

  
Arthur makes the smart decision to not respond, instead turning and pulling a blanket out of his pack.

  
"Here, sit up."

  
Merlin does so and Arthur wraps the blanket around his shoulders.

  
"I'm going to get a fire going, you stay right here, don't move."

  
"Don't think I really can..."

  
Merlin grumbles in response as Arthur hurries around the clearing picking up the brittle twigs that lay scattered all over.

  
"You're going to need something bigger than just a few twigs!"

  
Merlin yells over as he sits by the stream,

  
"Shut up Merlin!"

  
Arthur yells back, breaking a big piece off of a fallen branch in response, and the boy falls silent. He collects a few more pieces before going back and laying the wood down.

  
"Here...I can do it..."

  
Merlin says quietly, and Arthur leans back, watching as Merlins eyes glow gold and suddenly there's a steady fire blazing in front of them. They sit for awhile, watching the flames, and eventually Arthur rises and pulls his chain mail off, setting his sword to the side. He comes back to to the fire and lays his blanket out on the ground,

  
"Here, lay down."

  
Merlin frowns,

  
"What about you?"

  
"I have my coat, I'll be fine."

  
The boy shakes his head and Arthur sighs,

  
"Merlin could you please just-"

  
He stops as his manservant settles onto the blanket and then pulls one arm out, extending the blanket wrapped around himself in invitation.

  
"I may be injured, but I still have to make sure you're okay Arthur, it is my duty to take care of you."

  
Arthur stands frozen still for a moment, its cold and dark and he would like nothing more than to be next to Merlin, sitting next to a warm fire with the boy while talking about nothing in particular. So he throws all worry for being formal and princely out of his mind and sits down, letting the blanket be pulled around his shoulders.

  
"How do you feel?"

  
He asks after a moment of silence, Merlin shrugs,

  
"Better...I'm lessening the bind just a bit, letting the salve in..."

  
Arthur stares into the fire.

  
"Today has been quite the day hasn't it?"

He asks, not looking at Merlin just yet.

  
"Well...it's been fairly normal...except for you finding out about my magic...that's the only thing that's different really and-well..."

  
"And?"

  
Arthur says, shooting Merlin a glance

  
"Well...you-you're acting different...showing more...that you-"

  
Merlin shrugs,

  
"-care."

  
"Am I?"

  
Arthur frowns,

  
"I didn't realize that I haven't been-"

  
He pauses, he never had really shown how much he cared for Merlin in the past had he?

  
"I didn't-"

  
Merlin nudges Arthur with his arm,

  
"It's fine Arthur...I mean it took you long enough to finally show you have the ability to actually care but...."

  
Merlin trails off with a grin, eyeing Arthur,

  
"Shut up Merlin..."

  
Arthur grumbles good naturally and Merlin chuckles.

  
"You really scared me today you know..."

  
Arthur says, looking over at the boy,

  
"With my magic you mean?"

  
He shakes his head,

  
"With your wound....for a moment I thought-"

  
He swallows,

  
"I thought I was going to lose you..."

  
Merlin stares at him,

  
"I was afraid-"

  
Arthur sighs,

  
"I was afraid."

  
Its silent for awhile before Merlin rests his head on Arthurs shoulder, and the desire to just tell him how he feels is overwhelming. But he can't tell him, not yet. Merlin is wounded and they have to stay focused on getting him back to Camelot, Arthur can always tell him later.  _ **You're just scared to tell him, you're a coward, all scared of what he might say.**_ He tries to shove the thought away, but he knows it's true.

  
"Arthur?"

  
He is jarred out of his thoughts at Merlins voice,

  
"Yes Merlin?"

  
"Are you alright?"

  
Merlin sounds worried and it's tempting to just lean down and kiss his temple and tell him that of course he's alright. However that would be a lie as his mind is a swirling chaotic mess of _Merlin_ , and if he kissed the boy...well...he can't kiss him.  
Not now.

  
"I'm just worried about you that's all..."

  
Arthur allows himself to be purely honest in his answer to make up for the frustrating fact that he just can't kiss Merlin at the moment.

  
Merlin chuckles in response,

  
"Arthur I'll be fine."

  
"So you say, but how can you really know?"

  
He asks and he feels Merlin's shoulders shrug,

  
"Because I can't leave you, we're two sides of the same coin..."

  
Merlin's voice is light as he says that, and Arthur can hear the smile on it,

  
"Two sides of the same coin? How poetic Merlin..."

  
Arthur teases,

  
"Prat..."

  
Merlin grumbles and Arthur nudges him,

  
"I'm only teasing you..."

  
They fall into silence, staring into the fire, not saying a word. After awhile all that is left of the fire is a few embers glowing and Arthur is certain that Merlin has fallen asleep. Carefully he gets up and lays the boy down on the blanket before settling down beside him.

  
"Goodnight Merlin..."

  
He whispers into the night, and before he can stop himself, he kisses the boy on the temple and lays down, drifting peacefully into sleep. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year!! Sorry this took so long to get out and I'm sorry its so short! Its hard to keep up with everything, but don't worry I'm not planning on abandoning this fic :)  
> Please let me know what you think in the comments, feedback is always appreciated!

When Arthur wakes up the sun is bright on his eyes and the clearing is quiet. Merlin is sitting up next to him, poking the embers of the fire with a stick.

"Morning sire"

The boy murmurs as Arthur sits up,

"Morning...how are you feeling?"

Merlin glances at him,

"Better...the pain has dulled"

"Good"

Arthur rises from the ground and stretches, 

"Well…Camelot is quite a ways away… so we’d better get moving. Think you can last till the next village?"

Merlin stands up and gives a short nod before unsteadily making his way to his horse causing Arthur to frown.

“Merlin…”

The boy stops but doesn’t turn around, and Arthur can see his shoulders tense up as he says his name.

“Are you alright?”

Merlin shrugs, still not facing Arthur,

“I can manage.”

His voice is curt and Arthur wonders if this is his fault.

**_Idiot, Merlin has a giant gash in him, you can’t exactly expect him to be all bubbly and cheerful…_ **

The prince gives himself a shake and hurries to pick up their things and kick dirt into the embers of what is left of their fire.

“Right”

He says as he secures their bags back onto the saddles,

“Lets go, nearest village is about half a day away and daylights wasting”

Merlin says nothing as he goes to get into his saddle and Arthur stops,

“Wait-“

Merlin freezes,

“Here let me help you-“

“Arthur I’m _fine_ -“

“You’re injured Merlin, now shut up and let me help.”

He walks over and gingerly lifts Merlin up, helping the boy adjust his legs. As he lets go his hand brushes against Merlin’s and it takes everything in him to not stop and grab hold of it. Feeling a blush creep up in his cheeks he clears his throat and turns his head away.

“There…”

Merlin looks down at his saddle, not saying anything.

“Just…be careful up there…let me know if it gets to be too much.”

He walks back to his horse and hops into the saddle, he just barely hears from behind him-

“Thank you Arthur…”

Its said so quietly that its practically a whisper and Arthur glances behind him at Merlin who looks remarkably better than yesterday but seems much more dispirited.

“You’re welcome.”

He replies warmly, giving Merlin a small smile when the boy’s eyes dart up to look at him. Merlin doesn’t say anything after that as he looks back down, but Arthur thinks he sees his face go red and he has to hold back a chuckle.

Maybe his feelings are requited, though that could just be wishful thinking.

***

“Arthur…Arthur we have to stop.”

It had been many hours since they left on horseback, with minimal stops to stretch, relieve themselves and eat what was left in their packs, Merlin had hardly said a word as they travelled which Arthur was not used to at all, it was rather bizarre. Upon hearing Merlin’s voice the prince turns around to see the boy looking rather sick.

“I just need to-“

Merlin’s eyes are fluttering and he slumps forward,

“Merlin!”

In an instant Arthur is out of the saddle and lifting Merlin off his horse. Bright blue eyes look up at him, watery with tears.

“Arthur it _hurts”_

He crouches down, laying Merlin in the grass and lifting up the boy’s shirt, the bandage is soaked in blood and Arthur feels his stomach drop.

“Shit.”

He rushes to his pack, grabbing one of his tunics and ripping the fabric before grabbing what is left of the salve from Merlin’s pack and his flask of water.

“Its going to be fine Merlin just relax.”

Arthur says as he pulls the dirty bandage away and unwraps it. Merlin groans in pain, his eyes squeezing shut.

"Hey…hey-“

Arthur pats his manservants face gently, and watches as those beautiful eyes open once more.

“Just focus on me okay? Don’t think about the pain. Think about something else, and keep your eyes open alright?”

Merlin nods, his breaths short and shaky.

With that said Arthur looks back at the wound and takes a deep breath, the silver shimmer that was there before is gone and as such has allowed the wound to bleed freely. Grabbing the water, Arthur does his best to clean the gash, wincing as Merlin gasps in pain.

“It’ll be over soon, I promise.”

He snatches up the salve, smearing it on the wound before taking the torn tunic and wrapping it around the wound as a makeshift bandage, tying it in place.

“There…all done…we just have to last a few more hours and then we can try and see if someone in the village can help.”

He looks up and is met with a gaze of such force and emotion that his breath gets caught in his throat. There is something very raw in the look Merlin is giving him and the prince finds himself sucked in.

“Arthur…”

His name is weakly croaked out as Merlin stares at him.

“Arthur I-“

A twig snaps nearby and Arthur jumps, snapping out of his trance, his hand reaching for his sword.

“Shh…”

He scans the trees, seeing a branch rustle here and there but nothing else, and then he hears a whisper.

“Who goes there?”

As soon as the words leave his mouth a handful of men jump out into the small clearing with a cry.

“Bandits”

Merlin gasps from the ground, trying to get up.

“Merlin stay down.”

Arthur growls, drawing his sword and eying the men.

“You can’t-“

Arthur whips his head back to give Merlin a fierce glare.

“It’s my turn Merlin. I’ll keep you safe till my last breath.”

He turns back to the bandits,

“This is your one and only chance to leave alive.”

He declares and one of the men laughs,

“Tough talk from someone who’s so sorely outnumbered…”

The man takes a step forward,

“Just give us any gold you have and you’re free to go”

Arthur glares at him,

“Even if I had any on me at the moment, I wouldn’t give you a single coin.”

The bandits draw their weapons and Arthur readies himself, preparing to charge at the closest man.

“Well that was not the right thing to say I’m afraid…”

The same man from before smiles before letting out a whistle, and from the trees an arrow flies out, impaling itself into Merlin’s horses neck.

As the horse collapses the men advance and Arthur backs away trying to think, he’s outnumbered four to one which normally wouldn’t be that bad but the fact that there is an unseen archer hidden in the trees changes things.

“Arthur watch-“

Before Merlin can finish Arthur has sheathed his sword and scooped the boy up in his arms.

“Time to go Merlin!”

He yells as he runs to his horse, hastily placing Merlin in the saddle before hopping on himself. He can hear the bandits screaming behind him and urges his horse to go, feeling an arrow fly right over his head.

“C’mon…faster”

He directs his horse through the trees as best he can while holding onto Merlin. The shouting grows fainter and fainter with each tree they pass and fairly soon the forest is silent once more but Arthur doesn’t slow down, wanting to get as far away from the bandits as possible.

“The village has got to be close”

He says over the sound of hoof beats hitting the ground, and Merlin groans in reply.

“It’ll be okay Merlin just a little longer… _please_.”

***

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I feel like shit guys I'm so sorry it's literally been MONTHS since I uploaded...my bad, things got super busy and I haven't had any time to come back to write...but here's the fifth chapter of this, its fairly short and thats my bad :/ but now its SUMMER!!! So I should have more time to work on the fic, anyways, I really hope y'all like it! ❤

The sun has been down for a few hours by the time Arthur sees what little firelight he can from the village through the trees. Merlin had managed to stay conscious for the first two hours but after that he had passed out and Arthur hadn't been able to wake him.The prince urged his horse to go faster and it huffed in response, barely increasing its pace,

  
"I know, I know, you're tired too..."

  
he mutters to it softly as they exit the trees,

  
"We're so close just a bit more come on."

  
The village is rather loud despite the time of night, with many people crowding towards the tavern, however Arthur still gets plenty of looks from people as he passes by on his horse, clinging to an unconscious and sickly looking boy.

  
"Is everything alright?"

  
He hears a smooth voice and turns, looking down, seeing a middle aged woman looking up at him and Merlin with concern,

  
"A physician? Healer? Someone?"

  
Her face turns stern and she nods, adopting a gravely serious manner,

  
"Yes ser, Madam Fira, she lives just outside the village thataways"

The woman gestures further down the line of buildings exiting West, 

"Thank you."

Arthur says, nudging his horse forward and leaving the woman behind. By now the people have crowded into the tavern and the way is clear so he's at the healers home in a matter of minutes. 

"Hello?"

He calls out to the small structure before him, sliding off the horse and gently lifting Merlin up into his arms. 

The door opens hesitantly, and the prince can barely make out a figure in the dark, illuminated by a fire within the home. 

"Who goes there?"

a feeble voice calls and Arthur feels like crying with relief, 

"Please! My friend he-"

Arthur stops, his threat clogging up with panic now. The old woman-Madam Fira-steps outside and eyes Arthur. 

"Yes...I know. He is injured-badly..."

She sighs,

"Bring him inside then..."

****

Arthur sits by Merlin's side as Madam Fira examines the wound,

"What manner of beast was it?"

Arthur jumps, having gotten used to the silence, 

"Er-I-I'm not certain..."

"Well then what did it look like? Did it have scales? fur? The head of a lion?"

"It had the head of a goat...and a scaled tail, and these massive paws I-"

A flash of crimson eyes makes it way to the front of Arthur's mind, paired with a bone chilling screech,

"-thats all I remember."

He finishes lamely and Madam Fira huffs, 

"Well then...he should be fine in a few days time...I'm going to redress the wound, and he isn't allowed to stand or walk around until hes lain for exactly a day"

Arthur wants to sob with relief, 

"Thank you that's magnificent, thank you so much..."

"What did you say your names were?"

"He's Merlin, I'm er...Alec."

The old woman shoots him a suspicious glance, 

"Hm..well then  _Alec,_ you're welcome. Though since I'm healing your friend I expect some form of payment. You look have muscles, you can put them to work tomorrow and help me fix up my garden outside."

Arthur nods, 

"Of course, I can do that."

Madam Fira nods, seeming to be satisfied, and moves on to cleaning Merlin's wound. The boy shifts on the cot Arthur had laid him on and his face scrunches up. 

"...Arthur..."

The princes heart soars upon hearing his name, his excitement only faltering when Madam Fira frowns and asks,

"Whose Arthur?"

"Oh...um...Arthur is his....brother"

She eyes Merlin, who thankfully stays quiet once more, 

"Hmph...alright"

She rises up, 

"If I were you I would go tend to your horse, I'll prepare a area for you to rest so you can get some sleep when you  come back in"

Arthur nods, giving Merlin another glance before turning towards the door, 

"Is there a place I can tie my horse to for the night?"

Madam Fira grunts as she mixes some sort of paste in a bowl and applies it to a bandage for Merlin, 

"I have a old pen round the side of the house, your horse can stay there."

He nods, exiting the small home and trudging outside, he leads his horse to the pen, gathering the packs and removing the saddle-he can practically hear his steed cry out in relief as it huffs contentedly. 

"Get some rest"

He tells her softly, patting his neck,

"I'll find you some water in the morning."

securing her in the pen, he heads back inside, Madam Fira is nowhere to be found but a bundle of blankets and furs are lain over the floor next to Merlin's cot.

Arthur lays down, dropping the packs next to him and kicking off his boots with a sigh. 

**_It will be fine, we're fine, we're safe...Merlin is going to be okay._ **

He repeats this a few times over in his head until his eyes start to droop, for a moment he thinks of what is to come-of all things Madam Fira wants help with her garden..she could have asked for gold-most people would have- yet she wants help with..what?  _Planting things?_ Arthur has never gardened or tended to any sort of plant ever in his life, but he isn't worried. 

After all, its just a garden, how hard can it be? 

 


	6. Chapter 6

"Shite!"

Arthur leaps up, retracting his hand from the obscure vegetable plant he was trying to get in the ground. Turns out that this was a lot harder than he'd originally thought, mostly because Madam Fira wanted plants from the _depths of hell_ to grow in her damned garden. Arthur looked down at his finger which was now slightly bleeding, 

"It nips, be careful!"

Madam Fira calls out from the front of the house, 

"Thanks for the late warning..."

Arthur mutters, squatting back down and looking at the plant. Somewhere between him picking it up from the crate the old woman had brought out and attempting to put it in the ground large thorns had appeared out of the stem, red and angry looking. Gingerly, the prince picked the plant up again-being extra careful to avoid the thorns, he then quickly plopped it in the hole he had dug and began to push dirt back over it. 

This part isn't so bad, Arthur actually likes the feeling of the dirt beneath his fingers, it is soft and comforting to him, making him feel more relaxed than he has been in the past week. The plants, however, have quite the opposite affect on him, giving him far more scratches than he would like. He's been gardening since dawn, when Madam Fira had roughly shaken him awake and handed him a shovel, saying something about "keeping true to his word". Arthur hadn't really heard her because it was far too early for him to even begin functioning properly, however as soon as he opened his mouth to complain Merlin groaned in his sleep and Arthur promptly jumped up from the floor and headed outside, not wanting to say something stupid that may result in the ceasing of Merlin's treatment. It had been a bit rough to wake up at first, and he certainly had been rather annoyed that _this_ was his task and not something easier...like fighting bandits or something. But now he was feeling fairly proud-it was already early afternoon and he'd gotten three rows done already, with one more to go before he was allowed a break. Madam Fira had been out regularly to check his progress, routinely snapping at him and having him replant things if he hadn't done it to her liking. He was a little cross and had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes every time he heard her shuffle outside and give a heavy sigh before telling him how her Flaming-whatsits could absolutely _not_ be anywhere near the crinkled-leaf-whatevers. However she had brought him some food around noon, which had been very welcome, and she even gave him a few tips on how to deal with the peskier plants as he wolfed down everything in the bowl she had handed him. 

Still though, she could have told him sooner that he was going to be dealing with _Thorned Devils._

"Are you still pouting?"

Arthur jumps jarred out of his thoughts by the feeble but still fierce voice behind him. 

"I wasn't _pouting"_

He grumbles and she snorts, 

"Yes you were."

"I-"

She holds up a hand, shushing him.

"I am surprised though, pleasantly so, as I would have expected far more pouting and a great deal of complaining from the likes of a _Prince_..."

He freezes, feeling rooted to the spot, and he watches her smile, and then she's laughing. 

"Oh my dear boy...don't look so scared, I'm an old woman, far too tired to try anything even if I wanted to."

Arthur lets some of the tension leave his body, 

"And I'm not going to tell anyone...though I wish I could have foreseen your visit sooner...I've never been able to host royalty before and a bit of a warning would have been nice...could have pulled out the nice furs and made some tea before you arrived..."

"How did you know?"

She chuckles, 

"I _didn't_ , until just now when your friend woke up asking for Arthur...when I told him his brother was not here he looked just as confused as you do now and told me he wanted _Arthur_ -the man he was traveling with-his _prince_."

Arthur groans, of course bloody Merlin would sell him out to-wait. 

"He's awake?"

Madam Fira nods, grinning when Arthur rushes past her and into the house. 

"Merlin!"

He cries, a little too loudly, but he could care less because there's Merlin, sitting up and eating some stew, with color back in his cheeks and the usual sparkle in his eyes. 

"Arthur!"

His manservant cries back dramatically, setting his food down and holding his arms out, his eyes wide and teasing, a sly smile on his lips. 

Arthur rolls his eyes, still grinning as he walks over to the boy and leans down, gently embracing him. 

"You're okay..."

He says, pulling away and blushing at Merlin's surprised face. 

"What?"

Merlin is giving him an odd look, as though he's playing a rather difficult game of wits and has hit a rough spot. 

"You actually hugged me..."

Arthur smiles, 

"Course I did, you may have been joking...but I've been waiting for you to wake up since yesterday... _and_ you look infinitely better than you have since you got hurt I'm just-"

Merlin has a very soft look in his eyes now and its hard to keep looking at him and not kiss him. 

"I'm just very glad that you're okay...more than okay...you're better!"

Arthur is feeling rather nervous now because Merlin is just smiling at him and not saying a word, while giving him this absolutely heart melting look that's so intense and Arthur doesn't know how much longer he can have that look directed at him before he caves and-

"You were worried about me"

Merlin's voice is warm and somehow he manages to sound almost surprised but at the same time...not? What sorcery is this?

Arthur almost starts laughing at the little joke he just unthinkingly made before he gives a truthful reply,

"Of course I was, I thought I had lost you for a little while."

"You can't lose me...we're two sides of the same coin, remember?"

Arthur laughs, and before he can stop himself he grabs Merlin's hand, pulling it to his lips. 

"You scared me..."

He murmurs, pressing a light kiss onto Merlin's knuckles. 

His manservant looks faint, pupils dilating as he observes the prince's lips against his hand. 

"I'm sorry"

He whispers back, and Arthur slowly releases his hand, watching it fall back into its owners lap. Then he looks back up, a smirk rising up to his face,

"It's okay...just means that I'll have to keep a much closer eye on you now..."

He gives Merlin a wink, loving the way the boy's cheeks color as he looks away from Arthur, biting his lip. Before anything more can be said though, Madam Fira enters from outside, breaking the laid back air in the room and bringing Arthur to his senses. 

"Well if you're quite done-"

She sniffs, 

"The garden has yet to be completed..."

Arthur sighs lightly but can't seem to stop the smile on his face as Merlin scrunches up his own in confusion. 

"Sorry love...have to get back to work, I'll try to hurry though..."

He says cheerfully, righting himself and turning away and-  _what has come over him?  Did he just call Merlin "love"?_

Madam Fira looks rather amused and Arthur just knows that Merlin is beet red right now but he's finding it hard to really care what either of them are thinking at the moment because he knows now, _he knows._ If his manservant's face was _anything_ to go by...

He actually has a chance with Merlin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...it's late I know and I'm scared this may be a regular thing guys but uh-there you go! There is Arthur *ahem* kissing it better ;)  
> Tell me what you guys think! I've got a fairly good idea of how the rest of the fic is going to go, I'm afraid this isn't going to be crazy long or anything, when I first starting writing this I came up with an idea that would make for a good, short fic. However I've got a lot of other ideas in mind for longer fics so if you're interested, stick around!   
> And...yeah...I'm rambling sorry, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!


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